tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75319362302858625922018-05-21T00:48:32.790-07:00¡Rayos! or like 27 months in GuatemalaJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-60629627930471899252012-08-23T08:19:00.003-07:002012-08-23T08:22:05.850-07:00End of Service - back in the States!Hi everyone!<br /><br />&nbsp;Well, my time in the Peace Corps has successfully come to an end. After two years living in different parts of Guatemala and working as a Municipal Development volunteer, I am now officially an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). I flew back to the United States one week ago and am now in Atlanta, finishing up my final semester at Georgia State for my Master's in Public Administration, concentration Non-Profit Management. I plan to graduate this fall.<br /><br />&nbsp;My experience with the Peace Corps was really quite amazing. I had three primary projects that I got involved with during my service, the first being a series of workshops on project design and management that I taught to local community leaders. Second, I organized a coalition of public, private and non-profit actors to raise $13,000 in materials and supplies in the construction of a two-room schoolhouse made out of plastic bottles filled with trash. Finally, I directed four day-long workshops in Spanish and English on the "Eco-Brick" building method, teaching and then demonstrating the plastic bottle technique to groups of 20-40 participants. I feel very satisfied with my service and I very much appreciate the support that you extended to me over the past two years.<br /><br />&nbsp;As for the future, I will be looking for a job very soon. Upon graduation, it is likely that I will be looking for employment in or around Washington D.C. or North Carolina, preferably with an innovative non-profit focused on international development, community service or intercultural education. I have skills and experience pertaining to project design and management, event planning, volunteer coordination and fundraising, in addition to my Master's degree. Please keep me in mind if something comes up!<br /><br />&nbsp;Once again, thanks for all your support.<br /><br />&nbsp;Sincerely,<br /><br />&nbsp;Justin Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-91614856272889340942012-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:002012-02-04T09:39:32.230-08:00Leaving the Boca CostaWell, it’s been a long time coming (I’m talking about my this blog entry)<br /><br />I think I last posted back in October, and I don’t know why I haven’t felt inclined to write anything. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.<br /><br />A TON of stuff has happened, though – I moved out of El Tumbador yesterday, not because I was personally in danger but because of some broad security concerns at the national level. Peace Corps Washington had to make some hard decisions and rather than close PC-Guatemala they’re cutting the program in half, from +/- 200 volunteers to around 100. At the same time, they’re relocating all remaining volunteers to the Central Western Highlands of Totonicapan, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Solola and Chimaltenango. Here’s a <a href="http://www.mapsofworld.com/guatemala/guatemala-political-map.html">map</a>.<br /><br />I’m getting moved to Quiche. <br /><br />(it’s pronounced kee-CHAY, not “keeche” like the egg tart lol)<br /><br />My support network is getting turned upside down. A bunch of my friends have chosen to leave, as the administration realized they were complicating people’s lives by requiring site changes and so they offered everyone the opportunity to end their service honorably (rather than take the negatively connotated “early termination” label that you’d normally get if you left before 27 months). So people are going home.<br /><br />All this doesn’t even touch the fact that I’m now going to spend my last 6 months of service getting used to new work counterparts, a new culture and a new community. I’m moving to a remote valley that’s dusty in the summer months, located at the end of a dirt road that becomes almost impassable in the rainy season. There’ll be no more of the coastal tropics, the steep foothills and volcanoes out my bedroom window, with every inch covered with lush coffee plantations. I’ll miss Tumbador but it’s a moot point – I figure that you have to put your own service and comfort in perspective.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7MS-HdLYlY/Ty1sZNmAgJI/AAAAAAAAAwI/o8txmFusHkM/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 204px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7MS-HdLYlY/Ty1sZNmAgJI/AAAAAAAAAwI/o8txmFusHkM/s400/IMG_0086.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705335483349893266" /></a><br />In the meantime, I’m sitting in a cushy hotel in Xela waiting to share a flete (chartered truck or vehicle) with a future sitemate out to our new home. We’ll probably leave on Tuesday morning, which is fine with me because having cable TV, tasty meals, hot water and nice comfy room free of charge is a pretty good deal. Until then, I’m doing random stuff with my newfound free time…..like catching up on my blog ☺ Maybe I’ll try and make this a habit again….<br /><br />p.s. did you see that word back there? Sitemates? That part ALONE will be crazy; in El Tumbador the nearest volunteer was an hour away but now I’ll have three or possibly four other volunteers living with me in the same town…..Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-5902886353742242802011-10-18T14:38:00.000-07:002011-10-18T14:44:16.725-07:00Tropical depressions and local legendsYesterday I felt this neat little connection to my town, where I could exclaim with people about the birds I saw and talk about the accompanying legend, wondering if the season really was about to change. Superstition or not, I really hope the season is about to change here because it’s been raining constantly and it’s downright bothersome – I’ve been stuck in site for a week.<br /><br />Let me begin – yesterday I stepped outside of the office and looked up into the sky – there were <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w968r-bBZQo">hundreds of birds off in the distance</a>, circling, something I’ve never seen in the past 11 months. (Note: that video’s not mine). Sure there are birds around here – buzzards that lurk around the roadside garbage dump that I pass on my morning run, or the blue-jay types that flit through the trees casting shade in the coffee plantation, but not hundreds circling in the sky. I’d never seen that before but….I shrugged and forgot.<br /><br />Later on that night I went to visit this zany guy in my neighborhood who invited me over for (instant) coffee and sweet breads, of course we discussed the weather since it’d been pretty miserable lately. We are already in the rainy season, but now everything has gone further downhill because of <a href="http://reliefweb.int/taxonomy/term/9396?search=">Tropical Depression 12-E</a>, which hit on October 12th and has affected approx. 500,000 people, causing 34 deaths throughout the country. Everything is upset - when the weather gets fierce in Guatemala, roads and bridges wash out, retaining walls fail, mudslides destroy houses and rivers surge over their banks and displace entire communities. I feel pretty thankful that I’m safe and all I have to worry about is staying dry.<br /><br />Meanwhile, zany guy (Godolfino) is telling me that there’s this local legend that says when the <span style="font-style:italic;">azacuanes</span> arrive in the spring, when they mass together and fly away from the sea, towards the north, it means that the season is about to end. Translation – the rain is going to stop.<br /><br />(note: for Guatemalans we are currently approaching spring. It’s the opposite than the States –the rainy season, which runs roughly from April to October, is what Guatemalans think of as winter)<br /><br />Immediately, I thought back to that afternoon, when I saw a big ol’ group of birds massing above the hill on which my town sits, and since I’d never seen them before I figured maybe I’d gotten lucky. “Did you see the birds earlier today?” I asked, and immediately his daughter exclaimed that she’d seen them too. They must have been the <span style="font-style:italic;">azacuanes</span>, we decided. Cheerily, we hoped it meant that the season was coming to an end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHI1Sre2g9o/Tp3ymG1ksdI/AAAAAAAAAvo/WPH1bsTM7Uc/s1600/IMG_7989.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHI1Sre2g9o/Tp3ymG1ksdI/AAAAAAAAAvo/WPH1bsTM7Uc/s400/IMG_7989.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664950642786218450" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-75453210028082768142011-10-05T10:53:00.000-07:002011-10-05T11:05:00.515-07:00Explosions in the sky<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vkdt4tEZ0ng/ToycBKRvJ1I/AAAAAAAAAvg/4pdgrjsu7U4/s1600/IMG_3251.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vkdt4tEZ0ng/ToycBKRvJ1I/AAAAAAAAAvg/4pdgrjsu7U4/s400/IMG_3251.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660070375450421074" /></a><br />It’s been practically forever since I last posted – sorry.<br /><br />I’m still in site, still in Peace Corps and days are still passing one after the other. It’s funny to think that it’s 11 months after I first arrived and I still see my neighbors day to day, the crowded buildings lining cobbled streets, the looming volcano of Tajamulco in the distance, the jagged foothills covered with coffee plants, the bright sunshine of the morning on the slope as I walk to work, a gleaming that turns into clouds and then a steady drizzle and usually a downpour in the afternoons and evenings. I’m still in southwestern Guatemala, perched on a steep hilltop and looking out onto the coastal plain, with Tapachula (Mexico) in the distance, plus a faint straight line I can barely make out which convinces me I can actually see the Pacific Ocean. It is lush and green and humid and there are actually two corn harvests here, a lifestyle reward on top of an already agreeable climate, because the colder locales of the <span style="font-style:italic;">altiplano</span> only count on one. Out this morning I saw corn stalks rising up between rows of young coffee plants in a hillside field, peasants or their overseers coaxing more life into existence.<br /><br />I originally wanted to write about noise and community this morning, when I first reminded myself of the pressing need to update my blog. Last night, I slept lightly because there was constant noise, a series of booming M-80s that went off periodically, continuing until I was already descending the hillside for my morning run. My neighbors were lighting mortar fireworks that go off with warning, a preliminary explosion that reminds you to cover your ears because the actual firework goes off a few seconds later, a thundering boom that echoes across the mountains for miles around.<br /><br />People in my area were lighting these firecrackers off all night long, which, while not entirely unheard-of, is a bit out of the ordinary. Usually I can expect to sleep soundly. Sometimes they’ll be butchering pigs in the slaughterhouse on the hillside below my window, or the pigeons that live in my roof will cease to stop skittering around, but more often than not I sleep pretty soundly.<br /><br />Last night, however, I kept waking up, or more specifically, I would jerk awake lightly and then slide back into sleep, like I had gradually become comfortable with the booming explosions. This morning, as the dawn’s light came into my room as it does because I don’t have any curtains, I imagine that I should have been pissed that I didn’t sleep well, but I actually felt ok. And suddenly, I liked realizing that the fireworks meant that there was a community celebration and that I had been involved even though there hadn’t been an invitation or an explanation.<br /><br />I think the difference is that I’m actually connected to my community now, instead of 10 months ago when I was still a stranger, in my own head and my own behavior, unaware of the people around me and their lives, and now I enjoy the fact that I became aware and effectively involved, that I was reminded of people having a good time about something important to them. It made me wish someone had told me, especially when I found out that it was the Day of Saint Francis, which, coincidentally happens to be the name of my very neighborhood (i.e. I totally should have been participating) It made me feel bad that I didn’t even bother going outside to see the music and procession, lit by candlelight and punctuated by M-80 blasts, all of which I could see from my apartment but I don’t feel that bad. There will be more things unfolding tomorrow, more tiny mysteries to discover.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-57854164797078108962011-08-23T07:31:00.000-07:002011-08-23T10:11:07.875-07:00Success!My bottle school project is finally finished. After three months of construction and almost 6 months of collaboration and planning, we now have a beautiful two-room schoolhouse. Hooray!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jgDlVIyGuFU/TlPFvBylp5I/AAAAAAAAAt4/k0a6wJVaTl4/s1600/IMG_2969.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jgDlVIyGuFU/TlPFvBylp5I/AAAAAAAAAt4/k0a6wJVaTl4/s400/IMG_2969.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644072169750505362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIx6gAviGAI/TlPSsXsiSBI/AAAAAAAAAuI/RuNbBvAO3ME/s1600/IMG_2971.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIx6gAviGAI/TlPSsXsiSBI/AAAAAAAAAuI/RuNbBvAO3ME/s400/IMG_2971.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086417742252050" /></a><br />Of course, this project definitely didn’t come without some roadbumps. First of all, it’s obvious that the school is now turquoise. Here’s what it looked like a week ago:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NiNGw-inu_Q/TlPEd1MSyGI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NqHcH3GIhoI/s1600/IMG_2848.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NiNGw-inu_Q/TlPEd1MSyGI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NqHcH3GIhoI/s400/IMG_2848.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644070774799255650" /></a><br />At the last minute we decided that the color should change, partly because some of the stucco work was kind of sloppy and had to be reapplied . Ideas started flying around, and next thing you know the mayor plunked down Q700 (approx. $90) for three buckets of paint and the community slapped on a fresh coat. Unfortunately, given the stark difference between light blue and dark red, 15 gallons wasn’t enough paint and now the back side of the school looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okmrqnmCE-8/TlPEeqLkY3I/AAAAAAAAAtY/f-8qWi4v3GI/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okmrqnmCE-8/TlPEeqLkY3I/AAAAAAAAAtY/f-8qWi4v3GI/s400/IMG_2927.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644070789023294322" /></a><br />It’s not clear why the mayor didn’t just buy more paint – there were, ahem, some obstinate conversations last Thursday that resulted in certain people just sort of throwing up their hands and saying “this isn’t my problem anymore.” Kind of disappointing, but it’s sorta fortunate that the blue/red combo doesn’t actually look too bad.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the welders were throwing me for a loop. This is Rolando, holding one of those special, extra-fluffy breeds of chicken:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3qlLrD8yHoI/TlPEd_lTJEI/AAAAAAAAAtA/TbwuDV-eLgQ/s1600/IMG_2859.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3qlLrD8yHoI/TlPEd_lTJEI/AAAAAAAAAtA/TbwuDV-eLgQ/s400/IMG_2859.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644070777588491330" /></a><br />Rolando, who actually seems like a pretty nice guy, got a bit behind schedule. Having promised that he would have the entire project completed by the 15th of August, I figured that we’d have 6 days of leeway, just in case anything came up. Boy did they cut it close – at 11:30 pm, the night before the inauguration, my community counterpart Don Miguel called and told me – “Justin, you can sleep soundly because the welders just finished installing the doors and windows.” Of course they had to fill in the big holes they drilled and then let the concrete set overnight, so we were putting a final bit of cover-up on the next morning. I literally had to warn the visiting donors, Dave and Cheryl Watson, to beware of wet paint when the inauguration began.<br /><br />But who cares? It’s all over now! The work is done and there are just good stories to tell :)<br /><br />On Saturday, (and skip this part if you’re squeamish) we butchered a cow in preparation:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8jXz0du1r4/TlPEeLZAPmI/AAAAAAAAAtI/4uDx3zgHo_A/s1600/IMG_2871.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8jXz0du1r4/TlPEeLZAPmI/AAAAAAAAAtI/4uDx3zgHo_A/s400/IMG_2871.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644070780758146658" /></a><br />It was two years old, cost Q3000 (about $370) and weighed about 600 pounds. They did the whole jazz right in the middle of the field, and I thought it was funny because there were NO cows anywhere nearby, like, time to make yourselves scarce lol<br /><br />Here’s the head butcher distributing the cuts of meat to the <em>amas de casa</em> (house mothers) – note the cat waiting patiently in the background :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-794pdKdPgg0/TlPEeSRXGpI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/sLbvq34bSn4/s1600/IMG_2907.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-794pdKdPgg0/TlPEeSRXGpI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/sLbvq34bSn4/s400/IMG_2907.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644070782605138578" /></a><br />Of course, we had to skewer up a little barbeque right then and there, which was probably the freshest beef I’ve ever eaten (it was pretty tasty)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmqod5ZW3ck/TlPFulqjK3I/AAAAAAAAAtg/3VbSJw2LwRI/s1600/IMG_2937.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmqod5ZW3ck/TlPFulqjK3I/AAAAAAAAAtg/3VbSJw2LwRI/s400/IMG_2937.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644072162200595314" /></a><br />At one point the local kids wanted to take me on an adventure, so we went to a nearby waterfall (you can see it off in the distance):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQFmDL5S1h4/TlPFuqVHSzI/AAAAAAAAAto/x6zwYjnC4SY/s1600/IMG_2951.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQFmDL5S1h4/TlPFuqVHSzI/AAAAAAAAAto/x6zwYjnC4SY/s400/IMG_2951.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644072163452865330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqO3FGFqGkw/TlPFuzbaQGI/AAAAAAAAAtw/7VxdoVibKtw/s1600/IMG_2957.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqO3FGFqGkw/TlPFuzbaQGI/AAAAAAAAAtw/7VxdoVibKtw/s400/IMG_2957.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644072165895192674" /></a><br />It’s so beautiful around here.<br /><br />Sunday morning I headed back down to the community at 9 am and the ladies had been cooking for hours – it’d be stewed beef for the inauguration.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EX1Pto0HQpo/TlPSsvZQNFI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/dimMxUGDAAk/s1600/IMG_2972.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EX1Pto0HQpo/TlPSsvZQNFI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/dimMxUGDAAk/s400/IMG_2972.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086424103826514" /></a><br />And then, everyone started to gather, all dandied up in their nicest clothes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SC1LzMRRIBQ/TlPSs8VBuxI/AAAAAAAAAuY/83It94YzhXk/s1600/IMG_2979.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SC1LzMRRIBQ/TlPSs8VBuxI/AAAAAAAAAuY/83It94YzhXk/s400/IMG_2979.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086427575761682" /></a><br />I even wore a suit:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKVKrfoBypk/TlPStIiqybI/AAAAAAAAAug/2awa8cXQO5g/s1600/IMG_3010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKVKrfoBypk/TlPStIiqybI/AAAAAAAAAug/2awa8cXQO5g/s400/IMG_3010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086430854203826" /></a><br />There were lots of important people – from left to right:<br /><br />Zach Balle (co-founder of Hug It Forward)<br />Cheryl and Dave Watson (visiting funders)<br />Juan Manuel (the new Hug It Forward coordinator in Guatemala)<br />Don Armando (one of the town councilmen)<br />Miriam Lopez Ochoa (the mayor)<br />Carlos Julajuj and Doris Guzman (my direct boss and his project specialist)<br />(I’m not sure who the guy in the orange cap is lol)<br />Jose Caceres (Program Director for World Vision in my area)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhhcQ8WW7Lc/TlPStSwoFjI/AAAAAAAAAuo/R66ypz4x1yc/s1600/IMG_3012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhhcQ8WW7Lc/TlPStSwoFjI/AAAAAAAAAuo/R66ypz4x1yc/s400/IMG_3012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086433597101618" /></a><br />There was dancing:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20ZyBhHttQw/TlPTCMAmJmI/AAAAAAAAAuw/jIOqMUb0e0w/s1600/IMG_3068.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20ZyBhHttQw/TlPTCMAmJmI/AAAAAAAAAuw/jIOqMUb0e0w/s400/IMG_3068.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086792562288226" /></a><br />There was a ceremonial ribbon cutting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sRL_qxBo-o/TlPTCWD-rtI/AAAAAAAAAu4/MADXlGMYvZo/s1600/IMG_3086.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sRL_qxBo-o/TlPTCWD-rtI/AAAAAAAAAu4/MADXlGMYvZo/s400/IMG_3086.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086795260833490" /></a><br />Formal awards:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMYFHt5-MnU/TlPTCeUA9HI/AAAAAAAAAvA/GwUHzLbm10w/s1600/IMG_3111.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMYFHt5-MnU/TlPTCeUA9HI/AAAAAAAAAvA/GwUHzLbm10w/s400/IMG_3111.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086797475574898" /></a><br />More little kids in costume:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XS4sFMtzDvg/TlPTCka2e8I/AAAAAAAAAvI/wMdDAzt6I1Q/s1600/IMG_3145.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XS4sFMtzDvg/TlPTCka2e8I/AAAAAAAAAvI/wMdDAzt6I1Q/s400/IMG_3145.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086799114861506" /></a><br />Lots of speeches (can you tell I’m zoning out?)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpNPbYuSOmg/TlPTCxEwpZI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/xwJgx4DmaSA/s1600/IMG_3179.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpNPbYuSOmg/TlPTCxEwpZI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/xwJgx4DmaSA/s400/IMG_3179.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086802511865234" /></a><br />And this girl sang, no lie, 8 of those wailing Mexican <em>rancheras </em>about drinking and lost love and we sat there as patiently as we could :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gINjFlL-3iY/TlPTKuaghpI/AAAAAAAAAvY/CM80DQKz13s/s1600/IMG_3188.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gINjFlL-3iY/TlPTKuaghpI/AAAAAAAAAvY/CM80DQKz13s/s400/IMG_3188.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644086939236730514" /></a><br />All told, it was a fantastic day! Thanks to everyone out there for all your support!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-oLDNzS5aI/TlPFvSWHtPI/AAAAAAAAAuA/iNNLC8ma1ls/s1600/IMG_2970.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-oLDNzS5aI/TlPFvSWHtPI/AAAAAAAAAuA/iNNLC8ma1ls/s400/IMG_2970.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644072174194504946" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-46981775243696315892011-08-06T10:42:00.000-07:002011-08-06T10:55:37.143-07:00Putting on the roofRain is no longer an issue! Last week our <span style="font-style:italic;">herrero</span> (metalworker) finished assembling the metal rafters, which he then installed on the school. Next came the tin roofing (<span style="font-style:italic;">lamina</span>), which is standard for building construction in Guatemala. Here’s the school from the back (note the kids chasing each other; a few hang around the jobsite constantly, either curious or playing nearby)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxNe-JTpkDs/Tj19ccLjCwI/AAAAAAAAArQ/4WH-mnee8wM/s1600/IMG_2680.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxNe-JTpkDs/Tj19ccLjCwI/AAAAAAAAArQ/4WH-mnee8wM/s400/IMG_2680.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800236092164866" /></a><br />And here’s a completed picture from the front:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nm46Ln8miDQ/Tj19cDcc_YI/AAAAAAAAArI/q8Kn1SQV2o0/s1600/IMG_2679.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nm46Ln8miDQ/Tj19cDcc_YI/AAAAAAAAArI/q8Kn1SQV2o0/s400/IMG_2679.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800229452184962" /></a><br />Here’s an idea of what the construction looks like from the inside – the bright light you see on the ceiling is where daylight enters the classroom through an installed sheet of translucent <span style="font-style:italic;">lamina</span>. Pretty smaaart ☺<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rg-2Sjp-0E/Tj19cJ08gdI/AAAAAAAAArA/JcClm1edrSs/s1600/IMG_2673.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6rg-2Sjp-0E/Tj19cJ08gdI/AAAAAAAAArA/JcClm1edrSs/s400/IMG_2673.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800231165526482" /></a><br />Yep, it’s really starting to look good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZkziiq_bLg/Tj19ckECgII/AAAAAAAAArY/RCRUHTSSyqs/s1600/IMG_2683.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZkziiq_bLg/Tj19ckECgII/AAAAAAAAArY/RCRUHTSSyqs/s400/IMG_2683.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800238208155778" /></a><br />Then I came back a few days later, and whoop – they’d already started painting! (see what I said about kids being everywhere?)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3F3DOEETFzk/Tj19cvQV_9I/AAAAAAAAArg/MPxnKeAMXXk/s1600/IMG_2702.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3F3DOEETFzk/Tj19cvQV_9I/AAAAAAAAArg/MPxnKeAMXXk/s400/IMG_2702.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800241212555218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9MWXGBSnWU8/Tj19yk9lD2I/AAAAAAAAAro/fJY_VR44uX4/s1600/IMG_2703.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9MWXGBSnWU8/Tj19yk9lD2I/AAAAAAAAAro/fJY_VR44uX4/s400/IMG_2703.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800616406617954" /></a><br />Another picture from the back<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hU4pTiHmSzU/Tj19y4neTfI/AAAAAAAAAr4/NYGlL6uIxxA/s1600/IMG_2706.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hU4pTiHmSzU/Tj19y4neTfI/AAAAAAAAAr4/NYGlL6uIxxA/s400/IMG_2706.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800621682609650" /></a><br />and here’s what the inside will look like<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jKd8WlCWl0Q/Tj19yvw1b0I/AAAAAAAAArw/tNBzZYTV3Po/s1600/IMG_2704.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jKd8WlCWl0Q/Tj19yvw1b0I/AAAAAAAAArw/tNBzZYTV3Po/s400/IMG_2704.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800619305955138" /></a><br />A few days afterwards, it was time to pour the floor!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bL4PJ5LTlW8/Tj19zDZ4_VI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Pb0tqyFTqNg/s1600/IMG_2713.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bL4PJ5LTlW8/Tj19zDZ4_VI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Pb0tqyFTqNg/s400/IMG_2713.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800624578428242" /></a><br />First, you’ve got to mix a bunch of concrete on the ground – for this particular pile I believe the proportion was roughly 5 bags of cement to 20 buckets of gravel to 30 buckets of sand. Then the <span style="font-style:italic;">albañiles</span> (masons) start spreading it out on the classroom floor:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3FvF1-3PuhE/Tj19zLF4OHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/oYjTh_QFEvw/s1600/IMG_2716.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3FvF1-3PuhE/Tj19zLF4OHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/oYjTh_QFEvw/s400/IMG_2716.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637800626641975410" /></a><br />It’s tough work shoveling concrete but we all helped out ☺<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EJLtZVp41eY/Tj1-MvjerMI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/ejbKqxhIiXE/s1600/IMG_2727.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EJLtZVp41eY/Tj1-MvjerMI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/ejbKqxhIiXE/s400/IMG_2727.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637801065926536386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FEf1UE87T5M/Tj1-NEXgG6I/AAAAAAAAAso/YgnFD65BqmA/s1600/IMG_2749.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FEf1UE87T5M/Tj1-NEXgG6I/AAAAAAAAAso/YgnFD65BqmA/s400/IMG_2749.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637801071513443234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Rvn1YD-fU/Tj1-Mj17iZI/AAAAAAAAAsY/BoPTOvRaKUc/s1600/IMG_2732.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Rvn1YD-fU/Tj1-Mj17iZI/AAAAAAAAAsY/BoPTOvRaKUc/s400/IMG_2732.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637801062782699922" /></a><br />The process goes pretty fast though; a couple of hours and we were done!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN6_Us_YL2Y/Tj1-M4LYtlI/AAAAAAAAAsg/RjRYgozvjWg/s1600/IMG_2747.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN6_Us_YL2Y/Tj1-M4LYtlI/AAAAAAAAAsg/RjRYgozvjWg/s400/IMG_2747.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637801068241401426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Js2Go0C8fWU/Tj1-NE5jZzI/AAAAAAAAAsw/txXNQ0DCrOY/s1600/IMG_2751.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Js2Go0C8fWU/Tj1-NE5jZzI/AAAAAAAAAsw/txXNQ0DCrOY/s400/IMG_2751.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637801071656265522" /></a><br />We’re about 90% done with the school now – next week the herrero will install the windows and doors while the electrician mounts the light mixtures. Just a little more than two weeks until the inauguration!Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-47631834667740999362011-08-06T10:22:00.000-07:002011-08-06T10:56:34.305-07:00Press coverage!I've been incredibly fortunate to get some press on my bottle school project - here are a number of news outlets that have covered my story:<br /><br />Newspapers<br /><a href="http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/14735861/article-Fairbanks-man-helps-build-recycled-school-in-Guatemala?instance=home_news_window_left_top_3">Fairbanks Daily News Miner</a><br /><a href="http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/155857">Anchorage Daily News</a><br /><a href="http://www.pontealdia.com/philadelphia/que-se-puede-hacer-con-botellas-de-plastico.html">Ponte Al Dia</a> (Spanish)<br /><br />Blogs<br /><a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/going-green/volunteer-lot-bottle-builds-green-school/1209/">Earth Times</a><br /><a href="http://blog.hugitforward.com/">Hug It Forward</a><br /><br />Websites<br /><a href="http://guatemala.usembassy.gov/peace_corps.html">US Embassy - Guatemala</a><br /><br />Television<br /><a href="http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video?clipId=6126082&autostart=true">CBS - Atlanta</a><br /><a href="http://tvtv.com/pages/10358836.php?">K13XD - Fairbanks</a><br /><br />Radio<br /><a href="http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuac/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1830102/KUAC.Local.News/Newscast.Tues.71911">KUAC - Fairbanks</a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-68467217563450190012011-08-06T10:14:00.000-07:002011-08-06T10:22:38.450-07:00Other bottle school projects in the newsHere's former Peace Corps Guatemala volunteer Laura Kutner demonstrating a<a href="http://www.youtube.com/peacecorps#p/a/u/2/-XH73KoK5d8"></a> technique of how to construct bottle wall at the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife festival:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/peacecorps#p/a/u/2/-XH73KoK5d8Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-21788170632856806502011-07-25T19:31:00.000-07:002011-07-25T19:49:49.081-07:00Filling in the wallsI figure I’ll start out with the most recent progress – here’s what I left with you the last time I posted (about 2 weeks ago)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7C2NVZT82qs/Ti4n-SHQERI/AAAAAAAAApY/hRhjD49JTko/s1600/IMG_2430.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7C2NVZT82qs/Ti4n-SHQERI/AAAAAAAAApY/hRhjD49JTko/s400/IMG_2430.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633484134854693138" /></a><br />Since then, this is what the community has come up with:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhWc-C1CWdY/Ti4n-hADnxI/AAAAAAAAApg/aX1fSp10dVA/s1600/IMG_2494.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhWc-C1CWdY/Ti4n-hADnxI/AAAAAAAAApg/aX1fSp10dVA/s400/IMG_2494.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633484138851049234" /></a><br />The end gable is filled with bottles and has its first layer of stucco; they also started stucco’ing the lower parts of the wall. But we’ve already advanced way past this point.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyAvonZ1KzY/Ti4pDfxvN1I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/aVQKvXhrREU/s1600/IMG_2629.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyAvonZ1KzY/Ti4pDfxvN1I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/aVQKvXhrREU/s400/IMG_2629.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633485323933529938" /></a><br />The sun makes it a little difficult to make out the progress, but both the end gable and the entire back wall have their finish coats of stucco. The workers are placing bottles in the second level, and since I took that picture on Wednesday the remaining squares have probably already been filled in and have their first coats of stucco. We’re moving right along.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ykf1m1hKss/Ti4n--dFrFI/AAAAAAAAApw/2tJ3xYWOLqk/s1600/IMG_2501.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ykf1m1hKss/Ti4n--dFrFI/AAAAAAAAApw/2tJ3xYWOLqk/s400/IMG_2501.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633484146757446738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hxguJNOLAc/Ti4n-sJekxI/AAAAAAAAApo/Qfiz9OPTZfo/s1600/IMG_2496.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hxguJNOLAc/Ti4n-sJekxI/AAAAAAAAApo/Qfiz9OPTZfo/s400/IMG_2496.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633484141843354386" /></a><br />Some recent events…..above are some pictures from when we invited a bunch of local community leaders out to the project in hopes to dispel some of the mystery surrounding building with eco-bricks. They seemed pretty impressed, which is nice because most people look at me with incredulity when I tell them that we’re building with trash. Usually, they have to see it in order to believe it.<br /><br />I’ve been getting my hands dirty, of course. Here I am up on the scaffolding, tying bottles to chicken wire:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rGdcBPvRwBo/Ti4pDMr9QFI/AAAAAAAAAqI/6XxI6LgpSAc/s1600/IMG_2616.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rGdcBPvRwBo/Ti4pDMr9QFI/AAAAAAAAAqI/6XxI6LgpSAc/s400/IMG_2616.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633485318809010258" /></a><br />And here’s the square that Don Miguel and I finished:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W79G6uJfjcc/Ti4pDW25soI/AAAAAAAAAqY/SH6ZFO47B2Y/s1600/IMG_2630.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W79G6uJfjcc/Ti4pDW25soI/AAAAAAAAAqY/SH6ZFO47B2Y/s400/IMG_2630.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633485321539269250" /></a><br />These next few pictures can give you another vantage point from which you can see progress. First, the “before”:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KO3kUqF0XgI/Ti4n_BTg6GI/AAAAAAAAAp4/DK13fJ1a2pA/s1600/IMG_2522.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KO3kUqF0XgI/Ti4n_BTg6GI/AAAAAAAAAp4/DK13fJ1a2pA/s400/IMG_2522.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633484147522594914" /></a><br />Then, the “after”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdJCMN-dKak/Ti4pDt9qADI/AAAAAAAAAqg/qqd9-3iRiYE/s1600/IMG_2636.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdJCMN-dKak/Ti4pDt9qADI/AAAAAAAAAqg/qqd9-3iRiYE/s400/IMG_2636.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633485327741616178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-904zro-M5QI/Ti4qHVCe6UI/AAAAAAAAAqo/hR5zAdidJLU/s1600/IMG_2639.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-904zro-M5QI/Ti4qHVCe6UI/AAAAAAAAAqo/hR5zAdidJLU/s400/IMG_2639.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633486489282079042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAN_-eEI5BQ/Ti4pCzP1exI/AAAAAAAAAqA/0dwI7KQWAzQ/s1600/IMG_2603.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAN_-eEI5BQ/Ti4pCzP1exI/AAAAAAAAAqA/0dwI7KQWAzQ/s400/IMG_2603.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633485311980174098" /></a><br />Gotta hand it to our head mason Frainer; he’s pretty good with stucco and a trowel.<br /><br />Here’s a couple of community members pitching in with another part of the wall:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVduAvUWYOo/Ti4qHrGOGhI/AAAAAAAAAqw/1Tp66Aq_3h4/s1600/IMG_2641.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVduAvUWYOo/Ti4qHrGOGhI/AAAAAAAAAqw/1Tp66Aq_3h4/s400/IMG_2641.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633486495203334674" /></a><br />Bottom line is, things are going awesome. Here’s another “before” picture of what our school will look like from the front:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nBaUbENmW4U/Ti4qHzl5djI/AAAAAAAAAq4/FdEKddvaFp0/s1600/IMG_2643.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nBaUbENmW4U/Ti4qHzl5djI/AAAAAAAAAq4/FdEKddvaFp0/s400/IMG_2643.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633486497483683378" /></a><br />Final thing – we just confirmed today that our inauguration will be Sunday, August 21st! It’ll be a big party and some people are saying that we should slaughter a cow, but I’ll wait to see it before I believe it ☺ Regardless, there’ll be lot of different people present, including the Municipality, folks from the Peace Corps administration and some special Hug It Forward VIPs. I’m really excited - just one month to go!Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-11343821895511393492011-07-12T12:01:00.000-07:002011-07-12T12:45:43.906-07:00Significant progressHey all – Bottle School progress has been going really fast, and I’m a little remiss for not sharing any photos, but it’s been so dang busy around here! Let me give you a quick visual summary of the past month:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e8-TfzODHuM/ThyajFNel3I/AAAAAAAAAnY/nET1QERjnd4/s1600/IMG_1977.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e8-TfzODHuM/ThyajFNel3I/AAAAAAAAAnY/nET1QERjnd4/s400/IMG_1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628543561791084402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7CtIWbAzXo/ThyajZygpKI/AAAAAAAAAng/izh6BOQ1kk8/s1600/IMG_2090.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7CtIWbAzXo/ThyajZygpKI/AAAAAAAAAng/izh6BOQ1kk8/s400/IMG_2090.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628543567315117218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyEyJl_EOWc/ThybejEAYaI/AAAAAAAAAoY/XFt_TJKjwdQ/s1600/IMG_2365.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyEyJl_EOWc/ThybejEAYaI/AAAAAAAAAoY/XFt_TJKjwdQ/s400/IMG_2365.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628544583416701346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WawAxafZ9SA/ThydECSWRpI/AAAAAAAAAoo/dR7bvd3reMA/s1600/IMG_2430.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WawAxafZ9SA/ThydECSWRpI/AAAAAAAAAoo/dR7bvd3reMA/s400/IMG_2430.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628546326965143186" border="0" /></a>Pretty crazy, right? This is what happens when you don’t post for a while! We’ve made awesome progress and we’re starting to look at late August for the inauguration. Currently we’re working on placing the bottles - here’s how it works.<br /><br />First, cut yourself a length of chicken wire (cedazo) to match the opening between the columns and beams, weaving ¼” rebar through the edges like so:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2GtSau0XPk/ThyajrOo1ZI/AAAAAAAAAno/BY_huCNBGRA/s1600/IMG_2331.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2GtSau0XPk/ThyajrOo1ZI/AAAAAAAAAno/BY_huCNBGRA/s400/IMG_2331.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628543571996497298" border="0" /></a>That’s Chris Barry, head mason Frainer and community coordinator Don Miguel – see how they’ve interlaced the rebar through the holes of the chicken wire? Next, they’ll pull the chicken wire tight against the beams and columns, using the “pins” already poured into the concrete as braces:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXEFPkRbqr8/Thyajx1SsQI/AAAAAAAAAnw/DfBGZJtFba8/s1600/IMG_2336.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXEFPkRbqr8/Thyajx1SsQI/AAAAAAAAAnw/DfBGZJtFba8/s400/IMG_2336.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628543573769236738" border="0" /></a>Next, all you have to do is bend the pins back with a hammer, while someone pulls the chicken wire nice and tight. Now you have the surface onto which you’ll attach your bottles!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHJEzdGNhWA/ThyakGmtPoI/AAAAAAAAAn4/OYWihhjS7UM/s1600/IMG_2344.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHJEzdGNhWA/ThyakGmtPoI/AAAAAAAAAn4/OYWihhjS7UM/s400/IMG_2344.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628543579345206914" border="0" /></a>Attaching bottles isn’t rocket science – all you have to do is use plastic string. Watch this clip for an idea of how it works.<br /><br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxIS7oG8lLyQQJFJRVtltNiM5sjp6SYAcVtFZXxiWn2o5-opVixGR1f4Iirpck6yv_toKA-xPBagqi_i4qCsQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /><br /><br />It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it….<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtZpXixC8zQ/ThybePFpCaI/AAAAAAAAAoI/Ku3riiN4AxE/s1600/IMG_2351.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtZpXixC8zQ/ThybePFpCaI/AAAAAAAAAoI/Ku3riiN4AxE/s400/IMG_2351.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628544578054850978" border="0" /></a>Here’s our first filled square!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8gSgBNJH0SE/ThybedWhFQI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/SXM3bc7vDC0/s1600/IMG_2360.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8gSgBNJH0SE/ThybedWhFQI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/SXM3bc7vDC0/s400/IMG_2360.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628544581883729154" border="0" /></a>Now the school is really starting to take shape – pretty much the entire first floor has been filled in with bottles:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhi9EqG0y6E/ThydFKifdgI/AAAAAAAAApI/ZY5Tgg1yzys/s1600/IMG_2468.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhi9EqG0y6E/ThydFKifdgI/AAAAAAAAApI/ZY5Tgg1yzys/s400/IMG_2468.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628546346360206850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAAJqtzDkqI/ThydEnxulgI/AAAAAAAAAo4/tLOebDiW05o/s1600/IMG_2446.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAAJqtzDkqI/ThydEnxulgI/AAAAAAAAAo4/tLOebDiW05o/s400/IMG_2446.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628546337028871682" border="0" /></a>The kids are cute:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SElUsATizkI/ThydEepjU7I/AAAAAAAAAow/I2Hfheynr-g/s1600/IMG_2434.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SElUsATizkI/ThydEepjU7I/AAAAAAAAAow/I2Hfheynr-g/s400/IMG_2434.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628546334578660274" border="0" /></a>The nice thing about how light the bottles are is that it makes our bottle schools safer for earthquakes – a definite concern in this country.<br /><br />Here I am with my state-of-the-art sun protection system :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ayb9idGuBWk/Thyf-w3BnPI/AAAAAAAAApQ/XehuyhPAoTI/s1600/IMG_2479.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ayb9idGuBWk/Thyf-w3BnPI/AAAAAAAAApQ/XehuyhPAoTI/s400/IMG_2479.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628549534922677490" border="0" /></a>Things are going great! We have about 3 or 4 weeks of work left, and then classes can begin. I’m both excited and thankful for how smooth the whole project has gone thus far!Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-66357900716937394902011-07-06T16:57:00.000-07:002011-07-06T17:03:43.867-07:00Goata get a hold of myself (so bad)As of this morning, I own a goat and he looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-putaB8rxTrI/ThT3Bh_HzuI/AAAAAAAAAnA/XYclVk3DkkM/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-putaB8rxTrI/ThT3Bh_HzuI/AAAAAAAAAnA/XYclVk3DkkM/s400/IMG_2369.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626393440167644898" /></a><br />I know I was all confident in my last post that he’d be here within like 48 hours or whatever, but this is Guatemala and nothing ever goes to plan.<br /><br />(I recently heard some great advice – “you can start enjoying your time in Guatemala once you rid yourself of any expectations. Just go with the flow and you’ll be much happier than if you had a schedule ”)<br /><br />As you can see, he’s already pretty big, which is ok because that’ll mean more goat stew later on. I’m hoping that he likes to eat ☺<br /><br />I also know I was supposed to get a baby goat, but that one got sold and so I went to this butcher with no front teeth who acts as the local goat guru and he lined me up with a replacement. So here’s my new pet (?):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k9fEw0wiE70/ThT3B_72ibI/AAAAAAAAAnI/vAkUScKysro/s1600/IMG_2372.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k9fEw0wiE70/ThT3B_72ibI/AAAAAAAAAnI/vAkUScKysro/s400/IMG_2372.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626393448206993842" /></a><br />He’s kinda cute, right? I think he’s pretty cool looking at the very least, although a bit feisty (definitely gotta watch out for those horns><br /><br />The twist here is that I don’t have space for him at my house, so my bottle school counterpart Don Miguel will keep him in his yard. I’m fairly confident that this arrangement will work out, as the village only has 52 families and pretty much everyone knows:<br /><br />A: Me<br />B: the fact that I own a goat<br />C: and that I’m working to bring the community a school<br /><br />So there’s the gratitude factor, which I hope will go a long way towards keeping my goat safe. Furthermore, I’ve made it common knowledge that I intend to turn him into a big community feast in about 6 months, so I’m hoping it’s in everyone’s interest to keep him fed for the future. Also, the kids like him!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UnNv8aAraS4/ThT3Cn_b6ZI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/LGMllRepDJ4/s1600/IMG_2385.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UnNv8aAraS4/ThT3Cn_b6ZI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/LGMllRepDJ4/s400/IMG_2385.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626393458959444370" /></a><br />I found the neighborhood kids checking him out when I finished helping with the bottle school this afternoon, so I let them take him out for a walk. “Just make sure to put him back in his pen when the rains start,” I told them.<br /><br />Ok - most important part of this post - my goat still doesn’t have a name! What should I call him???Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-41290789666578990172011-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:002011-06-22T09:33:07.442-07:00I'm getting a goat soon!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phwlKcAf_jY/TgIVCZfUrZI/AAAAAAAAAmg/Czv2frCIu7Q/s1600/IMG_2020.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phwlKcAf_jY/TgIVCZfUrZI/AAAAAAAAAmg/Czv2frCIu7Q/s400/IMG_2020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621078415857986962" /></a><br />What you see in front of you is my future goat's future home :)<br /><br />Don Miguel and I built this shed in his backyard, seeing that I don’t have room for a goat where I live, unfortunately....<br /><br />At any rate, I'm pretty excited. I’ve wanted a goat for a while, but I knew I had to build his shed first. So - now that THAT detail is out of the way I’m planning on going up to San Marcos and getting my goat THIS WEEKEND (should be awesome)<br /><br />Everyone should know a couple things – first of all, it’ll be a male goat. I thought about getting a lady goat buuuuuut it probably wouldn’t have worked out for various logistic reasons. Second, this will be an eating goat – in about 10 months he’ll be butcher bound and we’re gonna have jerk stew for dinner. Lastly, I don’t have a name picked out for him…..yet (!!)<br /><br />I’ll be posting a picture of him soon and I would love to have your input as to what he should be named. All submissions welcome.<br /><br />Ok, so that’s the most important part of the post, but I figured I might as well include some pictures of the building process (Don Miguel’s kids helped out too). Here we are splitting bamboo for the fence; Don Miguel cracked each piece with the axe:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bbyOTzScP0o/TgIUY9LIXrI/AAAAAAAAAlw/tidRb5-644M/s1600/IMG_2002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bbyOTzScP0o/TgIUY9LIXrI/AAAAAAAAAlw/tidRb5-644M/s400/IMG_2002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621077703882464946" /></a><br />And I pulled them apart (arrrr)<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tq3aqT1GKRI/TgIUYklSVaI/AAAAAAAAAlo/3l88EdX8gZM/s1600/IMG_2000.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tq3aqT1GKRI/TgIUYklSVaI/AAAAAAAAAlo/3l88EdX8gZM/s400/IMG_2000.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621077697281283490" /></a><br />Here the kids and I are sawing the corner support posts:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRWq1UbM6Zc/TgIUZJRhu-I/AAAAAAAAAl4/JGGr0Gtz57I/s1600/IMG_2012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRWq1UbM6Zc/TgIUZJRhu-I/AAAAAAAAAl4/JGGr0Gtz57I/s400/IMG_2012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621077707130518498" /></a><br />The basic frame:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5pHKScwEkg/TgIUZSTDZTI/AAAAAAAAAmA/DOR7ZXblmFk/s1600/IMG_2014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5pHKScwEkg/TgIUZSTDZTI/AAAAAAAAAmA/DOR7ZXblmFk/s400/IMG_2014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621077709552837938" /></a><br />Starting to come together:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFv48febZwA/TgIUZZlNCnI/AAAAAAAAAmI/J8DI-2Ja2TI/s1600/IMG_2015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFv48febZwA/TgIUZZlNCnI/AAAAAAAAAmI/J8DI-2Ja2TI/s400/IMG_2015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621077711508015730" /></a><br />Lashing the bamboo slats with bailing wire:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8cOznykEZII/TgIVB03_VAI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/tStHuOtgis4/s1600/IMG_2017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8cOznykEZII/TgIVB03_VAI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/tStHuOtgis4/s400/IMG_2017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621078406029333506" /></a><br />Done! This will be a goat house in like 3 days. I’m pumped.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1JQZDcD9pcc/TgIVCJmivOI/AAAAAAAAAmY/d3cNeSeC1Iw/s1600/IMG_2019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1JQZDcD9pcc/TgIVCJmivOI/AAAAAAAAAmY/d3cNeSeC1Iw/s400/IMG_2019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621078411593301218" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-57407200530413308332011-06-17T06:18:00.001-07:002011-06-17T14:35:04.999-07:00Making progress<div>Things have been going great with my bottle school – we finished pouring the first set of columns on Tuesday, and we’ll probably start with the horizontal beams in the next couple of days. But it’s been a while since I’ve posted pictures; let me start at the beginning….<br /><br />First things first, you have to dig a big square trench. Here's where the school is gonna go!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oswYLgjZAmU/TftUoqbSkuI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/ZahHiE56C7c/s1600/IMG_1610.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619178017635078882" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oswYLgjZAmU/TftUoqbSkuI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/ZahHiE56C7c/s400/IMG_1610.jpg" /></a><br />I dug out some of this dirt a little while ago; the afternoon rains make it thick and heavy (chopping it up is no piece of cake). So you have to take an occasional break:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--m54cac-utA/TftUoTRha-I/AAAAAAAAAkI/AJlUnXo1Sas/s1600/IMG_1609.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619178011420093410" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--m54cac-utA/TftUoTRha-I/AAAAAAAAAkI/AJlUnXo1Sas/s400/IMG_1609.jpg" /></a><br />Of course, at some point you’ll need to get sand delivered (for the concrete):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Iwdxy_mrJk/TftUo7yWfZI/AAAAAAAAAkY/rCHr14PFk2o/s1600/IMG_1676.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619178022295207314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Iwdxy_mrJk/TftUo7yWfZI/AAAAAAAAAkY/rCHr14PFk2o/s400/IMG_1676.jpg" /></a><br />Then you’ll place the rebar for vertical columns and move onto pouring the <em>cimiento corrido</em> (honestly, I’m not even sure what this is called in English, but it’s the base of the building's foundation, the stretch of concrete running along the bottom of the trench):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4SW_xJemQyU/TftUpIPsRrI/AAAAAAAAAkg/nrVU-aiP_Oo/s1600/IMG_1681.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619178025639495346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4SW_xJemQyU/TftUpIPsRrI/AAAAAAAAAkg/nrVU-aiP_Oo/s400/IMG_1681.jpg" /></a><br />Then you lay a few runs of cement blocks on top of the <em>cimiento corrido</em>, completing the foundation (you can’t use bottles yet, unfortunately :) ) That’s my program supervisor Carlos Julajuj on the left and community coordinator Don Miguel on the right:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cc8av_OB46o/TftUpcgK0EI/AAAAAAAAAko/5Sk6oQgJ4zM/s1600/IMG_1682.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619178031077314626" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cc8av_OB46o/TftUpcgK0EI/AAAAAAAAAko/5Sk6oQgJ4zM/s400/IMG_1682.jpg" /></a><br />Next thing you do is fill in some dirt and prepare the <em>solera de humedad</em>, which will be poured around the horizontal series of rebar running along the top of the foundation:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XbG9TDG78uc/TftVoJL90AI/AAAAAAAAAkw/-hBRiEkuhP4/s1600/IMG_1821.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619179108224061442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XbG9TDG78uc/TftVoJL90AI/AAAAAAAAAkw/-hBRiEkuhP4/s400/IMG_1821.jpg" /></a><br />Jumping ahead, you can see how much progress we’re making:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7--u15RWzM/TftVoakuV7I/AAAAAAAAAk4/-4_vGnfSCI8/s1600/IMG_1891.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619179112891307954" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7--u15RWzM/TftVoakuV7I/AAAAAAAAAk4/-4_vGnfSCI8/s400/IMG_1891.jpg" /></a><br />On the day this photo was taken we finished the columns, which are formed within a wooden “box” into which you pour the liquid concrete. The novel aspect of bottle school construction is that you install a series of pins in both the <em>soleras </em> and the columns while the concrete is still wet - future pictures will illustrate why. Here’s one of the village kids helping out, putting pins into their holes at 20 cm intervals:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DFapsI9r8FU/TftVorkkqVI/AAAAAAAAAlA/lf518GewprI/s1600/IMG_1913.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 400px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619179117454076242" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DFapsI9r8FU/TftVorkkqVI/AAAAAAAAAlA/lf518GewprI/s400/IMG_1913.jpg" /></a><br />That’s our head mason Frainer mixing cement:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aypdUKMy9aM/TftVpLHrdwI/AAAAAAAAAlI/7pd47auAsBs/s1600/IMG_1915.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619179125922821890" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aypdUKMy9aM/TftVpLHrdwI/AAAAAAAAAlI/7pd47auAsBs/s400/IMG_1915.jpg" /></a><br />I had to help out, of course (shirt on my head = sun protection):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xWZpF5ZFW7U/TftXAZppRxI/AAAAAAAAAlY/x0QRBnCLYQc/s1600/IMG_1925.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619180624472000274" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xWZpF5ZFW7U/TftXAZppRxI/AAAAAAAAAlY/x0QRBnCLYQc/s400/IMG_1925.jpg" /></a><br />Then the wet cement goes into the column form:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ow4MfQ8th3s/TftVpbsjQFI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/x8Cl7OWcCoI/s1600/IMG_1917.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619179130372440146" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ow4MfQ8th3s/TftVpbsjQFI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/x8Cl7OWcCoI/s400/IMG_1917.jpg" /></a><br />All and all, things are going good. Tomorrow morning we’re going to deliver a bunch more rebar to the site, which should keep work moving at an even pace. People are motivated, costs are staying low thanks to collaborating organizations and everyone’s support means we’re making great progress. These kids can’t wait to get their new school!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-btBPEQ1jgMo/TftXAvqMpXI/AAAAAAAAAlg/3lLD1Wo7Pm4/s1600/IMG_1947.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619180630379898226" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-btBPEQ1jgMo/TftXAvqMpXI/AAAAAAAAAlg/3lLD1Wo7Pm4/s400/IMG_1947.jpg" /></a><br /></div>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-80337126857676435252011-06-13T09:56:00.000-07:002011-06-13T10:14:08.048-07:00Slight insomnia or la pereza?It’s been a while since my last post, maybe around 3 weeks, but I feel bad so here it is, 4:16 in the morning (I couldn’t sleep for other reasons) but I figured I might as well take advantage of stare-up-at-the-ceiling time, the dim glow of street lamps that paint my room.<br /><br />(I also moved recently – I used to sleep in near complete darkness, light seeping in from behind a couple of room dividers, but now my entire room stays faintly awake all night.)<br /><br />Part of the reason I haven’t been writing is all the rushing around. I changed houses, my supervisor came to visit, I’ve been traveling for the last couple weekends and frankly, things are just starting to seem banal. When I’m walking around my town, buying fruit in the market or eating fried chicken in my <em>comedor</em>, it doesn’t immediately strike me as an interesting thing to share (or so it seems). Then I realized, while laying in bed, that maybe I should just describe my state of mind.<br /><br />For one, Peace Corps is starting to feel normal. Living in Guatemala – yes, it still makes me smile when I say it or realize it, using it as a refrain with friends to explain when something ridiculous happens. But it’s also more and more normal – I just passed 10 months here in-country, and I guess things seem less novel. You just shrug off bucket baths in the dark with cold water. You sleep through the late, late night crowing of roosters. You try to ignore the booming explosions of fireworks – I can hear a 30 foot roll of Black Cats going off right now, which means that someone’s birthday has begun. You just sigh when your new landlord lags for days on promised repairs, or you return to your new place and the floor is inexplicably covered in a ½ inch of water. It’s just Guatemala.<br /><br />Then I write this stuff down and I realize, “Oh…that is kind of amusing.” :)<br /><br />One other thing, about the traveling I’ve been doing recently – it’s tiresome, just the sheer hours I spend on rattling, janky buses, barreling down roads full of potholes or around fallen trees or piles of landslide from recent rains. It’s 6 hours to Panajachel, or about 7 hours to Antigua, which are the two locations, respectively, where I spent the past couple weekends. That’s each way, and then I have to go back home, and that’s why I spend so much time loading up my phone with podcasts. Here are some favorites, all available on iTunes (lemme know if you have any suggestions!)<br /><br /><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2008/09/2008915153339521328.html">Al Jazeera</a><br /><a href="http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/lr">KCRW’s Left, Right and Center</a><br /><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-economist/id151230264">The Economist</a><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=102621701">APR’s Dinner Party Download</a><br /><a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/explainthisorg-and-breakdown">The Nation’s The Breakdown</a><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/talk-of-the-nation/">Talk of the Nation</a><br /><a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast">This American Life</a><br /><a href="http://media.slate.com/media/slate/Podcasts/Culturefest/culturefest1.xml">Slate’s Culture Gabfest</a><br /><a href="http://kexp.org/podcasting/podcasting.asp">KEXP’s Music That Matters</a><br /><a href="http://www.elevatorhiphop.com/category/podcast/">Elevator Hip-Hop</a><br /><a href="http://www.properlychilled.com/podcast/index.php">ProperlyChilled.com</a><br /><br />Also, here I am at my new place, having just taken a tuk-tuk across town with all my possessions.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Oms81YsiSY/TfZBusfucQI/AAAAAAAAAkA/whwN9NTlO5c/s1600/IMG_1697.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Oms81YsiSY/TfZBusfucQI/AAAAAAAAAkA/whwN9NTlO5c/s400/IMG_1697.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617749855665287426" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-44677005974860257352011-05-25T19:06:00.000-07:002011-05-25T19:50:42.208-07:00Bottle School Construction has begun!only a week late :)<br /><br />I dunno; given the circumstances (Guatemala, the construction business and the fact that I recently spent a week in the States), seven days behind schedule seems pretty acceptable. I can’t complain.<br /><br />I’ve included some recent photos; first of all, check out how many bottles we have now (thanks in part to the two teachers you can see in the foreground)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3LGOCSqcvs0/Td243WYqtWI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Ki_Ja41plUY/s1600/IMG_1455.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3LGOCSqcvs0/Td243WYqtWI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Ki_Ja41plUY/s400/IMG_1455.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843971814864226" /></a><br /> As for other building materials, here are kids from the community unloading the 360 cement blocks we’ll use in the foundation:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GQh-QrM-B0s/Td2426Cn4jI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/dVhs90XQCKc/s1600/IMG_1454.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GQh-QrM-B0s/Td2426Cn4jI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/dVhs90XQCKc/s400/IMG_1454.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843964206211634" /></a><br />The big recent event came on Tuesday, when Cementos Progreso delivered the 250 bags of cement they donated to our project; that’s Don Miguel, my community counterpart, who's standing next to the truck:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h7zYMsHO_K8/Td243zffT8I/AAAAAAAAAho/DkkbVU5u5LQ/s1600/IMG_1513.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h7zYMsHO_K8/Td243zffT8I/AAAAAAAAAho/DkkbVU5u5LQ/s400/IMG_1513.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843979628105666" /></a><br />Aaaaand…..that’s me unloading cement, Guatemalan style:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QoTBpzoNb0A/Td244IrpvUI/AAAAAAAAAhw/a9TZsuTFI1o/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QoTBpzoNb0A/Td244IrpvUI/AAAAAAAAAhw/a9TZsuTFI1o/s400/IMG_1516.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610843985316265282" /></a><br />You’d be surprised how ergonomically correct this method is; you support all the weight with your legs – honestly, my back is fine.<br /><br />Of course, you do end up getting kind of dirty:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0H3hGyjEokM/Td25Wzm-BCI/AAAAAAAAAh4/vOMedlBSrTk/s1600/IMG_1544.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0H3hGyjEokM/Td25Wzm-BCI/AAAAAAAAAh4/vOMedlBSrTk/s400/IMG_1544.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844512235422754" /></a><br />I ended up having to wash my shirt by hand so I’d look presentable for the groundbreaking ceremony later that morning (pictures forthcoming – see if there’s a noticeable difference lol)<br /><br />Here’s our head mason Frainer, preparing the rebar which will help form the structural support for the school’s cement columns. In the background, left to right: Don Miguel, Rosanio (Planning Office Director) and Anibal (Municipal Secretary)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tx2DeBFgjk8/Td25XMSDVWI/AAAAAAAAAiA/kid_9647Wkk/s1600/IMG_1553.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tx2DeBFgjk8/Td25XMSDVWI/AAAAAAAAAiA/kid_9647Wkk/s400/IMG_1553.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844518858577250" /></a><br />Here are the kids starting to line up for the groundbreaking ceremony:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tIGBYiYVOqs/Td25XSFuFVI/AAAAAAAAAiI/fY60u0zLRm0/s1600/IMG_1562.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tIGBYiYVOqs/Td25XSFuFVI/AAAAAAAAAiI/fY60u0zLRm0/s400/IMG_1562.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844520417465682" /></a><br />And here we are, about to place the <em>primera piedra</em> (“first stone”, ha ha but in this case it’s a concrete block) From left to right: Me, Councilman Alfredo, Mayor Miriam and Rosanio<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epsYqJUBrJk/Td25YMONtDI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/pmZVOekYlxc/s1600/IMG_1578.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epsYqJUBrJk/Td25YMONtDI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/pmZVOekYlxc/s400/IMG_1578.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844536022348850" /></a><br />Aaaaaand…..the first stone has been placed. I’m looking at Rosanio being like, “Is this supposed to support a building?” and he’s like, “yeah, it’s just symbolic anyway.” Lol<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5wV58vjVakE/Td25Yel6PzI/AAAAAAAAAiY/Ljns92Myobc/s1600/IMG_1593.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5wV58vjVakE/Td25Yel6PzI/AAAAAAAAAiY/Ljns92Myobc/s400/IMG_1593.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844540953575218" /></a><br />Yep, all ready to start building :)<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmhL9YEcdqg/Td25whBeTJI/AAAAAAAAAig/r6mmk-VVzUE/s1600/IMG_1600.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmhL9YEcdqg/Td25whBeTJI/AAAAAAAAAig/r6mmk-VVzUE/s400/IMG_1600.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610844953922915474" /></a><br />Seriously though! I’m excited. Tomorrow we’re going to go buy the wooden boards with which to form the concrete columns and beams; once the sand and gravel gets delivered, we’ll be all ready to start pouring. Yeah bottle school!Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-66268839041181381842011-05-19T05:57:00.000-07:002011-05-19T06:08:01.856-07:00Medical MissionI got a chance to work as a translator for a team of doctors this last Sunday, helping out with a medical mission down in the coastal lowlands near my site. It was hot, tropical and a great learning experience…plus great people and lots of free snacks! The coolest part, however, was getting to watch intricate surgeries from about 2 feet away. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7dcu9Ot_6Q/TdUUuF2BkdI/AAAAAAAAAg4/cPXnvbMvsbA/s1600/IMG_1355.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7dcu9Ot_6Q/TdUUuF2BkdI/AAAAAAAAAg4/cPXnvbMvsbA/s400/IMG_1355.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608411693035131346" /></a><br />This guy had a cataract removed, and what you see is a doctor SEWING UP HIS EYEBALL (modern medicine is amazing) <br /><br />Of course, hanging out in the operating room was just a perk; obviously there’s very little translating necessary for people under heavy anesthesia :) The rest of the time I stayed extremely busy during clinical visits, where I’d help Guatemalans make themselves understood to North American doctors with minimal amounts of Spanish. I spent a bunch of my time with Vaji (OB/GYN) and Aditi (otolaryngologist aka ear, nose and throat doctor). <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dC784zCQmeU/TdUUuoqAmzI/AAAAAAAAAhI/W5B6JzlPUX0/s1600/IMG_1398.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dC784zCQmeU/TdUUuoqAmzI/AAAAAAAAAhI/W5B6JzlPUX0/s400/IMG_1398.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608411702379977522" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GZrSSfZpYGY/TdUUuOkwOGI/AAAAAAAAAgw/VhhG1rzNH8s/s1600/IMG_1348.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GZrSSfZpYGY/TdUUuOkwOGI/AAAAAAAAAgw/VhhG1rzNH8s/s400/IMG_1348.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608411695378610274" /></a><br />Yes, I did get to wear scrubs. I had to change midday because it was so HOT. <br /><br />The work was really rewarding; cracking the language barrier to help someone deal with their health issues creates immediate goodwill, especially seeing that lots of patients traveled from far away and were likely pretty poor. Also, you have to take into account that U.S. caliber medical services would probably cost a fortune and although the mission was charging for its procedures, I’m sure their prices were generous. <br /><br />I learned how exhausting translating can be. The patient’s explanation of their symptoms would enter my ear in Spanish and leave my mouth in English, with the same vice versa for the doctor’s advice or questions. I did one straight 3-hour stint and, in addition to the sweltering humidity and coastal heat, all that switching back and forth just wore me out. The thing is, with the urgency of getting the translation right (this isn’t some simple miscommunication; you really want to help people with their problems) makes you concentrate really hard. I drank a lot of water. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aDkBjqu_2Vw/TdUUubAG8XI/AAAAAAAAAhA/50-pN9wbeeM/s1600/IMG_1394.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aDkBjqu_2Vw/TdUUubAG8XI/AAAAAAAAAhA/50-pN9wbeeM/s400/IMG_1394.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608411698714571122" /></a><br />No joke though; people really needed help. This was an ovarian cyst that they pulled out of this one woman, which measured about the size of an …..orange (whoa) <br /><br />I’m going to let you watch this video though – watching a surgeon open up someone’s body with a cauterizing wand is pretty incredible…..<br /><br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwdiXtyK7BmL8hMNUKH17npR7xcahIWsUxanZ1iljAIrszJkFfoEjNhNwBIv5QmfLCp3aXS6P0CdfsBcj2E' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-62451383901991390672011-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:002011-05-14T10:41:02.815-07:00Returning to GuateI just got back from a week’s vacation in the States and it’s like I completely forgot Guatemala while I was gone.<br /><br />Back stateside, I definitely tried to put my Peace Corps life in perspective. I was standing in the kitchen and trying to remember life here in my site, the afternoon rains, my tin roof, cobbled streets, poverty and second hand clothes, tropical plants and trees and hot weather. Unfortunately, I could barely hang onto the thought. I’d recall an image, maybe it was the view from my office doorway looking out into the street, watching the people pass by, and then I would push the image away. There was too much good food to eat, casual socializing and car rides and bonfires, clean streets and beautiful houses, big buildings and paved streets, real coffee and doughnuts and sushi and every easy detail. <br /><br />I’m starting to think that maybe I blotted Guatemala out, which is weird because I like it here. Up until this point all I’ve been telling people is how much I like the people, the climate, the food, the flora, the culture and my work – I have very few complaints. At the same time, I spent a week in the States and forgot everything.<br /><br />I imagine it’ll take a few days to settle back into my site. Here, there are stares and stray dogs and bizarre questions about the United States, pollution and crowded buses and beggars, <a href="http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=393908&CategoryId=23558">gun-battle massacres</a> and fear, contaminated food and minimal hygiene, a lackadaisical attitude and complacency that shrugs in the face of, well, craziness. There are new stories, superstitions - these kinds of things have got me reeling a little bit. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p21IXOHfHtw/Tc67DT-EQ4I/AAAAAAAAAgo/nq7WxStvJ3g/s1600/IMG_1196.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p21IXOHfHtw/Tc67DT-EQ4I/AAAAAAAAAgo/nq7WxStvJ3g/s400/IMG_1196.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606624251697447810" /></a><br />I remember the sarcastic remark I made to someone about how odd it was to “vacation in the States”, but now that I’m back, I realize that it’s really no joke, whether for me and the 18 months of service I have left, or for the Guatemalans who live here everyday and can’t simply get on a plane and fly off to a foreign country.<br /><br />One notable thing about my trip was the Greyhound station where I had to wait for a connecting bus at 2:20 AM last Wednesday night. Sitting there watching people lurch about, I saw poverty, stress and sense of wariness…it struck me that the setting was almost like Guatemala (although much weirder, more diverse and not nearly as poor).Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-62959141662484149662011-05-04T07:34:00.001-07:002011-05-04T07:38:36.572-07:00Not quite a tarantula, but………All I’m saying is that there are some seriously big bugs here.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F46tTDLO1C8/TcFkLOB-82I/AAAAAAAAAgg/F5FUdItbREA/s1600/IMG_1191.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F46tTDLO1C8/TcFkLOB-82I/AAAAAAAAAgg/F5FUdItbREA/s400/IMG_1191.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602869555333362530" /></a><br />This guy, this arachnophobia-inducing monster of a specimen, was in my house, most specifically in my living room where I watch movies or take naps (!!!!).<br /><br />It was ridiculous – I was just sitting there, finishing up an episode of Boardwalk Empire (which is an awesome show, by the way) and I’m ready for bed. It’s already like 11:45. Then I look up and see this:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MxKaRVqj7s8/TcFkLGBbrlI/AAAAAAAAAgY/nYUUe1Oq5oA/s1600/IMG_1187.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MxKaRVqj7s8/TcFkLGBbrlI/AAAAAAAAAgY/nYUUe1Oq5oA/s400/IMG_1187.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602869553183567442" /></a><br />And yes, that’s a 2x4 right there. Comparatively, that’s how big a spider we’re talking. This guy is so big THAT HIS EYES ARE REFLECTING THE FLASH. Look closely – this spider actually needs redeye treatment. Here’s another picture:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u4WFLBRJWQo/TcFkKy-DorI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/XVWSmRH04gQ/s1600/IMG_1186.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u4WFLBRJWQo/TcFkKy-DorI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/XVWSmRH04gQ/s400/IMG_1186.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602869548069135026" /></a><br />Do you see the other spider? The little normal guy, hanging out in his web? Spiders that size, I don’t mind. I’m from Alaska – we love spiders because they eat mosquitoes. 9 times out of 10, I would never hurt a spider. Except of course, when this spider might suck my brains out in the middle of the night (I ended up thwacking him with a magazine).<br /><br />SERIOUSLY. Is anyone out there an arachnologist or whatever? I’d love to know what this guy is called….maybe so I could pray that he never shows up anywhere me ever again (fat chance – this is number two that I’ve seen thus far)<br /><br />I love the Peace Corps lolJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-28361086317011973712011-04-30T08:45:00.000-07:002011-04-30T12:07:00.653-07:00Signing a contractAwesome news – my Bottle School project is set to break ground on May 16th!<br /><br />On Thursday night, Hug It Forward director Chris Barry came to my project site and we signed a contract, along with community representatives and the mayor. I’m really excited!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L5ejwfjJgdQ/Tbwvgp9ls5I/AAAAAAAAAf4/6SCD1aEhanA/s1600/IMG_1166.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L5ejwfjJgdQ/Tbwvgp9ls5I/AAAAAAAAAf4/6SCD1aEhanA/s400/IMG_1166.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601404274608550802" /></a><br />Specifically, this meeting dealt with the accountability of all involved parties – from left to right in this photo:<br /><br /><strong>The Community</strong> - Don Miguel is a prominent leader in the village<br /><a href="http://www.hugitforward.com/">Hug It Forward</a> - that’s NGO Director Chris Barry<br /><strong>Peace Corps</strong> - I’m the project coordinator<br /><strong>The Municipality</strong> - that’s Doña Miriam, our mayor<br />(Our newly named)<strong>Project Foreman</strong>– Frainer<br /><br />Everyone’s contributions thus far were spelled out and all upcoming responsibilities noted with regards to the construction phase of the next 2-3 months.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BO6Nj69VyoA/Tbwvgjv7eSI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eGup5eE0pdE/s1600/IMG_1174.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BO6Nj69VyoA/Tbwvgjv7eSI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eGup5eE0pdE/s400/IMG_1174.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601404272940644642" /></a><br />What went especially well is that the community got a strong voice in deciding how to manage the project, even though they aren’t providing any of the funding. My hope is that community project direction will result in prouder work and a better final result.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HQN76hH7MHY/TbwvgaBc0eI/AAAAAAAAAfw/Xi4NTwywFbw/s1600/IMG_1159.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HQN76hH7MHY/TbwvgaBc0eI/AAAAAAAAAfw/Xi4NTwywFbw/s400/IMG_1159.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601404270329778658" /></a><br />Specifically, I was very happy that the Municipality allowed the community to use local men as their labor source. Originally, our mayor had agreed to pay the wages of two assistant masons for the project, but instead of assigning some of her existing employees to the job, she let the community pick its own workers. Her decision surprised me a bit, seeing that there are plenty of peopleat the Muni who receive a salary but do very little actual work(and you wonder why we have budget “problems” :) ). The bottom line is that I applaud her choice and I think we’ll avoid a whole host of problems as a result.<br /><br />Here are some labor details you might find interesting:<br /><br /><strong>Project foreman</strong> (mason, experienced in concrete building and construction)<br /><br />- funded by Hug It Forward on a 6,400 quetzal contract of approx. 2 months of work, paid out in 4 biweekly checks, averaging out at around Q125.00 or $17 US daily<br /><br /><strong>Assistant masons</strong><br /><br />- funded by the Municipality at 5,000 quetzales apiece for the same timeframe, averaging around Q100.00 or $13 US daily)<br /><br />note: Unskilled labor is provided by the community.<br /><br />Basically, we’re ready to go. After the massive bottle collection from a couple weeks back, we now have more than 4000 filled bottles (<em>eco-ladrillos</em>), with probably another 4000 partially filled– that’s more than enough to begin construction. All that remains is for the community to level the project site, which, given that they’ll probably do it by hand and the school will measure roughly 42’ by 21’, they’ll need at least a couple weeks. On the far end of the soccer field in this picture is where the school will be built.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhUoZ5oX5E/Tbwvg1qovyI/AAAAAAAAAgI/VybjRIXbZTk/s1600/IMG_9955.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhUoZ5oX5E/Tbwvg1qovyI/AAAAAAAAAgI/VybjRIXbZTk/s400/IMG_9955.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601404277750284066" /></a><br />In the meantime we’ll be making the funding arrangements…..<br /><br /><br />To everyone reading this - thanks for your support! Please let me know if you have any questions, or feel free to check out some of my earlier posts <a href="http://chuchosenlacalle.blogspot.com/2011/01/bottle-schools.html">here</a>, <a href="http://chuchosenlacalle.blogspot.com/2011/02/identifying-community.html">here</a>, <a href="http://chuchosenlacalle.blogspot.com/2011/02/news-coverage-of-bottle-school-projects.html">here</a> and <a href="http://chuchosenlacalle.blogspot.com/2011/04/plastic-bottle-madness.html">here</a>.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-14563610700892161562011-04-25T08:01:00.000-07:002011-04-25T08:18:42.639-07:00Easter celebrationYesterday was <em>Pascua</em> (Easter) and here are a bunch of pictures!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HWYzsKP_pc/TbWNJXdAmJI/AAAAAAAAAfA/WPqPi8elqtI/s1600/IMG_0812.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HWYzsKP_pc/TbWNJXdAmJI/AAAAAAAAAfA/WPqPi8elqtI/s400/IMG_0812.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599536903759108242" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQR7ltfCQ3s/TbWNJcpqIOI/AAAAAAAAAfI/C9VZWU-Tqag/s1600/IMG_0817.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQR7ltfCQ3s/TbWNJcpqIOI/AAAAAAAAAfI/C9VZWU-Tqag/s400/IMG_0817.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599536905154339042" /></a><br />The colorful things you see on the ground are called <em>alfombras </em>(rugs), which constitute a pretty central Easter celebration for most communities here in Guatemala. After staking out a bit of road, families or community groups will place colored sawdust in various designs using cutout stencils. The following pictures are of a design I particularly liked (probably ‘cuz I want a Persian rug that looks just like this someday):<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KXERV2ri2QY/TbWNyYai89I/AAAAAAAAAfg/cWZuY9o1UZg/s1600/IMG_0824.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KXERV2ri2QY/TbWNyYai89I/AAAAAAAAAfg/cWZuY9o1UZg/s400/IMG_0824.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537608391848914" /></a><br />Looks pretty crisp, right? It’s almost like a real rug if you ask me – here’s a guy using the requisite stencil with its slight wooden frame.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_Ca5vZ4nOo/TbWNJri1X7I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/YMtqiyCEPYU/s1600/IMG_0823.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_Ca5vZ4nOo/TbWNJri1X7I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/YMtqiyCEPYU/s400/IMG_0823.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599536909152247730" /></a><br />Closeup, you can see how he’s smoothing out the sawdust into the cutout holes, which will leave the design on the foundation below – excess sawdust on the stencil gets simply picked up and removed at the end.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuszO0KlwFk/TbWNySBbOXI/AAAAAAAAAfY/bVDyoMOce2I/s1600/IMG_0823_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuszO0KlwFk/TbWNySBbOXI/AAAAAAAAAfY/bVDyoMOce2I/s400/IMG_0823_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537606675872114" /></a><br />Once you've finished the design within a stencil, you gingerly pick up the frame, clean off the excess sawdust and then replace it on down the line. But when you think about how big these <em>alfombras </em>are – close to 10 feet wide and at least 30 feet long - you realize that you have to rig up a plank-and-cinder-block system with which to reach the middle sections. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MevrbPSo2dI/TbWNyjpY0JI/AAAAAAAAAfo/xhbqfz1YRv8/s1600/IMG_0825.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MevrbPSo2dI/TbWNyjpY0JI/AAAAAAAAAfo/xhbqfz1YRv8/s400/IMG_0825.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537611406889106" /></a><br />Need I remind you that the sun was blazing when I took this picture, with temps of at least 75 degrees? The guy gets extra props for working under adverse conditions.<br /><br />Anyway, I should note that these pictures were taken during the festivities leading up to Easter in a small town near Antigua on April 3rd – sorry it took me so long to post...I’ve been real busy!<br /><br />Here’s a picture of me that same day, helping out with a different <em>alfombra </em>(this one was garnished with pine needles and vegetables!)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzTKjTHPS0s/TbWNJDvCXGI/AAAAAAAAAe4/k5Lcsxn2joQ/s1600/IMG_0801.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzTKjTHPS0s/TbWNJDvCXGI/AAAAAAAAAe4/k5Lcsxn2joQ/s400/IMG_0801.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599536898466012258" /></a>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-8287977874536121602011-04-13T06:55:00.000-07:002011-04-13T07:05:34.172-07:00Forgetting thingsLiving in a small town in the coastal foothills of the Pacific slope, there are plenty of things about life in the United States that I forget (but remember vaguely):<br /><br />o shopping malls (pretty few/far between)<br />o traffic lights<br />o large boulevards<br />o brand name (not fake) clothing<br />o nice cars<br />o commuting to work<br />o supermarkets (once again, these exist in Guatemala but not where I live)<br />o clean streets<br />o absence of pedestrians (most everybody walks)<br /><br />However, there are tons of things I can’t remember. I’m sure that if you suggested that I was forgetting the little things, like you were asking me if I realized that I couldn’t remember all the little details, I’m sure I’d nod and agree.<br /><br />At the same time, I was a little mystified to realize they don’t have wind chimes here.<br /><br />And it’s definitely not that I’ve missed their presence for the past 8 months (which I have) but it’s more that….that they just wouldn’t exist.Like, I sort of want to know why not? Of course, Guatemalans are stunned that we don’t eat tortillas with every meal, so it goes both ways.<br /><br />Anyway so last night I realized the wind chime absence, during a conversation with this guy at the comedor where I eat my meals. He had spent some time in the U.S. and there we were, standing around after dinner talking about the Day of the Dead, All Saint’s Day, Halloween, Scarecrows and finally, windchimes (Scare-crows are called pretty much the same thing in Spanish – “espanta-pajaros”, and aren’t that common here, apparently). So then the guy turns to me and says in Spanish, “do you know what’s really not common around here? Espantaspantos”<br /><br />The straight translation sounds ridiculous, but it’s basically “scare scares”. No clue - might be a regional name.<br /><br />It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about, but then I marveled. First, I remembered my mom’s chimes back home. Then, I thought about the occasional wind here, and imagined hearing those same sounds, maybe different sounds, and maybe a new set of chimes from the States….<br /><br />The moment really took me back, like a perfect metaphor, or like how most of the tiny, insignificant details can mean a lot but can fade away.<br /><br />Now I want to hear a windchime again.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tD1FeXM8T5I/TaWs7E2k4YI/AAAAAAAAAeo/oXn5Dx-xDmQ/s1600/IMG_0672.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tD1FeXM8T5I/TaWs7E2k4YI/AAAAAAAAAeo/oXn5Dx-xDmQ/s400/IMG_0672.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595068242992619906" /></a><br />Here’s a picture of the ladies that run my comedor (windchime guy is actually the husband and father of the Baby and Momma on the right)Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-91321798138621202292011-04-07T13:58:00.000-07:002011-04-07T15:08:57.495-07:00Plastic Bottle MadnessToday was a good day.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YM_MGOqxJYk/TZ4mK5UzVHI/AAAAAAAAAeI/26FgyFPpDzw/s1600/IMG_0839.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YM_MGOqxJYk/TZ4mK5UzVHI/AAAAAAAAAeI/26FgyFPpDzw/s400/IMG_0839.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592949755869353074" /></a><br />Here I am, out in a rural village in my municipality, communing with a bunch of students who have been collecting plastic soda bottles that we’ll use in my bottle school project (background blog post <a href="http://chuchosenlacalle.blogspot.com/2011/01/bottle-schools.html">here</a>). The look on my face says it all – we made a big haul, the kids were adorable, and now we’re a heck of a lot closer to the 8000 bottles we’ll need for our project. Woo hoo!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTENRprHEDE/TZ4mLP9M_GI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/zH1Plk-naNU/s1600/IMG_0850.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTENRprHEDE/TZ4mLP9M_GI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/zH1Plk-naNU/s400/IMG_0850.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592949761944386658" /></a><br />It all started six weeks ago, when my counterpart and I convened a bunch of school principals together at the district office and asked them to convince their students to gather plastic soda bottles and fill them with inorganic trash. The big idea, we explained, was that these stuffed bottles would serve as <em>eco-ladrillos</em> or eco bricks, which we could use instead of concrete blocks in the construction of a two-room schoolhouse for a needy community. Further advantages included:<br /><br />- Cheaper construction costs<br />- anti-seismic design (walls of mostly trash rather than concrete are a plus)<br />- inorganic/organic trash awareness for students <br />- neighborhood garbage cleanup<br />- citizen participation and community involvement<br />- there’s an NGO helping out (external $$$$ for infrastructure creation)<br /><br />Yeah, building a school out of bottles seems like a crazy idea, but…… there are a few advantages :)<br /><br />Anyway, so we convinced the principals to help out, throwing in the further enticement that we’d be awarding prizes to the student, class and school that brought in the most filled bottles within six weeks. Man, did they get excited!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sBaDNbrpLnQ/TZ4mLvfhl8I/AAAAAAAAAeg/ctAM5l-PFPs/s1600/IMG_0864.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sBaDNbrpLnQ/TZ4mLvfhl8I/AAAAAAAAAeg/ctAM5l-PFPs/s400/IMG_0864.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592949770409842626" /></a><br />This is just one of the five communities we visited, and there are probably 500+ filled bottles in that pile! I was pretty excited, because we pulled in around 1000 filled bottles just in one morning’s haul, with 1000 more only half filled or empty (still useful). However, the real shocker is that there are around FIFTEEN more communities that we have to visit over the next few days, so there’s no telling how many bottles we’re going to end up with….<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hSowN3BBZcU/TZ4mLXSUIbI/AAAAAAAAAeY/MGe2ZZR6IJE/s1600/IMG_0857.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hSowN3BBZcU/TZ4mLXSUIbI/AAAAAAAAAeY/MGe2ZZR6IJE/s400/IMG_0857.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592949763911983538" /></a><br />Here we are, preparing the <em>costales </em>(plastic sacks) of bottles that we’ll haul away. That’s my counterpart on the right, the mayor’s brother in the middle, and a resident of the community where the school will be built on the left.<br /><br />Things are coming together! With hope, we’ll begin construction within the next 4-5 weeks….<fingers crossed>Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-89038285235769353492011-04-04T07:49:00.000-07:002011-04-04T07:52:45.149-07:00poco a poco (little by little)I figure I should write an entry with details on stuff that I’m actually doing, not just random anecdotes. Most people probably have no idea how I spend my days.<br /><br />Which is ok, I think, because most of my days are spent in an office. I do a lot of document writing (in Spanish) and I have internet. I don’t live in a cave or have to hunt my own food. Life as a Municipal Development volunteer in Guatemala seems pretty western-standard normal, at least it does now that I’m accustomed anyway.<br /><br />Anyway, I’ve recently spent a good deal of my time in the office working on a series of workshops, five presentations that I’ll give to community leaders over the course of the next few months. Basically, my counterpart and I want to help train the community groups that act as the cornerstones of the democratic system here in Guatemala. Any community group, once registered, is supposed to have a direct voice in a council system that is shaped like a pyramid, broad at the bottom with tens of thousands of community groups throughout rural Guatemala, each of which having the (theoretical) input in the decisions of the roughly 333 municipality councils in Guatemala at the subsequent level (each representing what roughly amounts to a county or borough in the States)<br /><br />Each county or borough council has a voice in the succeeding level (what we’d think of as a state), which then has a voice in the regional council, and finally there is a national council over which the Guatemalan President presides. The idea in this system is that even the lowliest <em>campesino </em>can be directly involved in the democracy of his country.<br /><br />Of course, there are lots of problems. First of all, many Guatemalans are woefully undereducated, which is a large part of the reason why we’re doing these workshops. We want to provide local leaders with some pointers on the associated legal background of their community groups (which are known as COCODES), helping them to identify their organizational strengths and weaknesses, assisting in the prioritization of needs and finally, helping to elaborate a project profile. The hope is that we can empower these groups in their drive to improve their communities.<br /><br />Ok, so I just described one problem, the education bit, and then I got carried away talking about mission and failed to elaborate on the other problems to which I alluded. Here’s a big one – the existing power structure. Oppression in Perpetuity, or Why Would I Really Want To Make Life Difficult For Myself?<br /><br />Case in point – during our first presentation to about 50 rural community leaders last Tuesday, where we talked about the lawswhich sanction community involvement and transparency, my counterpart decided to gloss over the established legal provision which dictates that municipal treasuries should be able to respond to individual citizen requests for accountability and/or financial records. Later on I asked him why, and he told me that one particular community leader would have gotten animated and started causing trouble, this guy whose personality apparently feels like having an inextricable rock in your shoe.<br /><br />I tried to tell my counterpart that yeah democracy is messy and annoying, that when everyone knows their rights and can speak up for themselves that change can happen without fear of reprisal, and maybe if That One Guy started causing trouble, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much corruption (Guatemalans love to bemoan the corruption here)<br /><br />So thatwas my counterpart, perpetuating the status quo, ostensibly involved in an effort to spread awareness and transparency but intentionally leaving out important details. Oh well.<br /><br />At the same time, I readily admit that it’d be a tough decision. Furthermore, this is his community and not mine, so….. I can’t really tell him how to behave. Lastly, physical violence as a reprisal for sticking one’s neck out is not uncommon here.<br /><br />What stays with me is a conversation I had after the fact, when I recounted the meeting to a friend and he assured me that most people probably already know their rights but fear for their safety. My friend told me that if you draw enough attention to yourself and make the existing power structure feel threatened, someone might take steps to have you silenced.<br /><br />Which is pretty intimidating.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-38292350021752925082011-03-27T18:32:00.000-07:002011-03-27T18:40:09.662-07:00susceptibilityUp front, I’ll say that I didn’t even see this woman I’m writing about or her sick baby, it’s just …. last week I heard a vivid story and I wanted to comment on Guatemalan acceptance, desperation, folk belief and the just plain lamentability of living in a country where the absence of public health resources can kill a child suddenly.<br /><br />…<br /><br />There was a warning though. A mother here in the community took her 7-month old child to the health center and was told that it had a high fever and needed medication urgently. Returning the next day, the mother was told that the situation was dire and her child should be rushed to the emergency room immediately.<br /><br />There was no money.<br /><br />The mother, with likely very few options, came to the Municipality to ask or beg or plead with the Mayor for the means necessary for a hospital visit, but the mayor couldn’t be found. So the woman brought her dying child to the OMM (Oficina Municipal de la Mujer), and she asked for help.<br /><br />I have to interject for a second – this baby is going to die. It was incredibly sick, apparently white as a sheet, diagnosed in critical condition and yet the mother didn’t have the means to save her child. Probably desperately, she opened up to any suggestion that emerged.<br /><br />The coordinator of the OMM is a midwife, and she determined that the baby might be stricken with Ojo, The Eye, something I don’t know about. I get the sense that it’s like a curse.<br /><br />The coordinator went to the market to buy pepper and a plant called rue or the Herb of Grace and chewed them up, taking a mouthful of aguardiente (cane liquor) and spraying the whole mixture into the face of the child.<br /><br />Then the child went into convulsions, and the coordinator went on to turn the child upside down, hanging while she began to pound on the soles of its feet, meant as a cure for the soft spot on the baby’s head.<br /><br />The baby died. And it’s not to say that the coordinator was responsible – by all accounts the baby was already incredibly sick. As for the methodology or its aim, I don’t know. <br /><br />I feel like one lesson here is that you can’t discount folk belief - people will still do what seems right no matter the circumstances. And regardless of whether you disagree with me, consider the panicked mother: if you were poor like her and had no other option, wouldn’t you consent to just about anything with the hope that it might save your child?Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531936230285862592.post-31185505039135651542011-03-23T15:33:00.000-07:002011-03-23T15:41:26.015-07:00Election misconductHere's an interesting <a href="http://mail.guatemala-times.com/opinion/editorial/2143-illegality-and-immorality-of-guatemalaas-election-process.html">article </a> that deals with the environment surrounding the upcoming elections in Guatemala.<br /><br />The article is a little flimsy, making a number of vague accusations about the various political parties without examples, but she's right about the illegal political advertisements because they're everywhere in my town. Also, her suspicions on the influence of drug money are probably accurate.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821244394450344910noreply@blogger.com0